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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. press — newspapers
  7. board — a committee
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. mine — for digging
  12. press — a publisher
  13. present — the time now
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. board — to get on
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. press — to push
  18. present — there
  19. fork — in a road
  20. present — a gift
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com